Tuesday Bolts – 4.24.12

Sekou Smith of NBA.com on OKC’s late game struggles: “These same late-game issues won’t simply go away because the postseason has started and the Thunder flip some imaginary switch to make it stop. The inability to close out games has cost teams championships. Just ask the Heat about what went wrong in The Finals last year when they failed to close out the Mavericks in Game 2 and it wound up costing them an entire series. Failure to close out games is a fatal flaw that could push the Thunder’s championship clock back another season if they are not careful.”

KD says LeBron is MVP: “He deserves all the love (for MVP),” said Thunder forward Kevin Durant. “He’s playing phenomenal basketball. I’m just trying to get better every single game and trying to help my team as much as I can. I’m just blessed to be in that conversation.” But then again, what do you expect KD to say? “Nah, I’m totally the MVP”?

Beckley Mason of TrueHoop on dangerous fouls: “But violence hasn’t disappeared in the NBA, and the matter is complicated by the relative value of the players involved. Consider that Robin Lopez has little value compared to Blake Griffin, so if Lopez had taken Griffin out of the game, it would have been a much more damaging blow to the Clippers, even as it was a Suns player committing the infraction. Or how about Sunday, when Metta World Peace was ejected for brutally elbowing star Thunder guard James Harden in the head — though it wasn’t a part of the L.A. game plan, the exit of World Peace and Harden was a net gain for the Lakers, who eventually came back and won the game.”

Austin Link for ESPN.com on OKC in the postseason: “As a young, guard-oriented offensive juggernaut, the Thunder are one of the NBA’s most exciting teams. Unfortunately for them those same traits make them more vulnerable in the playoffs. The Thunder made a move last year that could have remedied their struggles down low, bringing in Kendrick Perkins at the trade deadline. While he was a productive center with Boston, he has struggled mightily this season, putting up a minuscule 8.6 PER (league average is 15.0). Unless he steps up in the playoffs, Kevin Durant’s crew might be destined to once again end its season just short of the Finals.”

Ian Thompson of SI.com has James Harden as Sixth Man: “Harden emerged as the Thunder’s poor-man’s version of Ginobili, minus the flair and the all-out killer instinct. Nonetheless, he fills a crucial role by coming off the bench to handle a variety of roles as OKC’s third-best player. Harrington provided reliable bench scoring to help keep the Nuggets in the playoffs despite injuries and roster moves. Williams was the Sixers’ primary scorer without complaining about his role with the second unit.”

Zach Lowe of SI.com has KD third: “Durant has attempted more shots out of the pick-and-roll this season than he did in the full 82 games last season. He has posted a career-best defensive rebounding rate, and the fancy camera/tracking system STATS LLC has installed in Oklahoma City (and nine other arenas) shows that Durant grabs an unexpectedly huge percentage of rebounds when he’s within 3.5 feet of the ball. On defense, he can still get lost now and then around screens and away from the ball. But he’s a smarter team defender now, and he uses his long arms to contest jumpers without fouling. His ability to defend bulkier players allows coach Scott Brooks much of the same flexibility that Miami’s Erik Spoelstra has in going small, though Brooks has been a bit more cautious in doing so against the best opposing front lines.”

Steve Aschburner of NBA.com on Metta World Peace’s suspension: “Here’s where the NBA can put some teeth into its discipline and really support the newfound concern about head injuries: Tie World Peace’s suspension to Harden’s recovery time. The NHL has talked about similar linkage between time lost by players who suffered intentional harm and the punishment meted out to their assailants. And it seems only fair — if OKC has to play “X” number of games without Harden, it doesn’t seem right that the guy who put him out of service might be back first to help his team. One possibility: A stiff suspension that adjusts up the longer the harmed player is out. For instance, the NBA could impose a suspension of “10 games or the length of Harden’s absence-plus-five games, whichever is longest.” Or five games and plus-three. Something that would make the transgressor and his team feel a greater pinch that the victim and team that got wronged.”

I'm sorry, but anyone who has Durant at 3rd in the MVP race is a moron. Fine, put him second, give the award to LBJ, he deserves it and I'm one of the ones who thinks LeBron should win it. But Kevin Durant is not the third best player in the league (or most valuable). Take Chris Paul off of the Clips, replace him with an average point gaurd and have a frount court with Griffin and KD, and is there anyone who thinks that team isn't better than it is now? KD is a consistently dominant presence in the way no one is besides LeBron and maybe Howard, and Durant shows up late the way both those players sometimes fail to do.

Why is no one talking about how dominant the Spurs have been down the stretch? They are beating teams by 25-35 regularly. They look as impressive as any team I've seen going into the playoffs in the last 5 years. I hate to say this, but I see them winning the title in dominant fashion.

Assuming we take care of business Wednesday against DEN, who we play in the first rd will come down to DAL v ATL in Atlanta on Thursday. DAL holds the tiebreaker over DEN, so a Mavs win will put us against Denver- lose, and they play us.

@Zach99 Ginobli is more consistent than Harden, but that's mainly due to the fact that he's been playing for so long. I'd still take Harden though, because his individual great games (such as the 40 point outburst in Arizona) are better than Ginobili's and Harden's consistency is at least improving.

@TaoMaas The line that Harden was partially at fault for the elbow is about as egregious as saying a woman was asking to get raped by the clothes she was wearing. Not only does that make no sense logically, it's insulting to the victim.

Apologies for bringing up a touchy subject in my comparison, but it unfortunately is the best comparison I can think of.

@Steve H Dallas controls their own destiny in a weird way. They can lose and play the Thunder or they can win and get the Lakers. It really depends on which matchup they like better. My guess is that they would rather play the Thunder. Have a better track record against them.

@ou_sas@shiki To be fair, though, Perk sometimes gets T'ed up for apparently scowling too long at a ref. He gets T'ed up on reputation, seemingly, from time to time so I guess the technical foul review was sort of made for players like him?

@C_Dub I just knew Kobe was going to get a technical for the hissy he threw after KD poked him in the eye. I never like seeing players get hurt, but I have to say I got a good chuckle out of Kobe poking KD in the eye, then KD immediately returning the favor. Pretty funny.

@neo12@alexklaas That would actually be hilarious to watch: Kobe trying desperately to get the scoring title and chucking up shot after shot... if he shoots 6 for 28 or something to try and get to 30 and just can't get there.